


and the ones who leave

by acidquill



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Not Canon Compliant, implied long-term/terminal illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-11-02
Packaged: 2018-02-23 14:30:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2550992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acidquill/pseuds/acidquill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John's already lost Sherlock once before; keeping him now, is a different sort of battle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	and the ones who leave

**Author's Note:**

> a little self indulgent, angsty future!fic set post S2. originally posted Feb 09 2012.

It’s not enough Sherlock left him once before.  
  
 _Threeyearsthreeyearsthreeyears_ \- even now the memory tumbles around in his skull like a rock being polished smooth. Except it’s never quite gotten there, the edges still dig in when John’s least expecting them. Bruise and draw blood and drive him out of the flat before he says things he can’t take back. Can’t afford to. Not now. There’s not enough time for hurt feelings; there isn’t time for a lot of things.  
  
He always returns within a couple hours, would even without the texts that follow him, attempting to nip at the heels of his conscience. Mycroft should. The man does know better. John would never leave - he wouldn’t just. He won't.  
  
But the terse little messages are some of Mycroft’s only weapons at the moment. Sherlock’s barred him from anything else, and so far, Mycroft has respected his brother’s wishes. But John knows he worries, and is too much like his brother to admit he does. So when they come:  
  
‘ _New prescriptions to be delivered at four._ ’  
  
‘ _He looks entirely too pale. A walk in the park tomorrow. Will send car._ ’  
  
And once, memorably, ‘ _Please_.’  
  
John reads each one. Tucks his phone away without replying. Baker Street is never far; he stops by the grocery, picks up odds and ends he hopes will tempt Sherlock to eat. Maybe today. _For me, Sherlock_. It isn’t likely, but that doesn’t stop John from trying.  
  
Good days, bad ones, John takes them all. Losing Sherlock again isn’t an option. 


End file.
